How to tell if your hair is hydrated

Your hair can be moisturized with product but still not have healthy hydration. Finding the right product to give your hair moisture is only half of the hydration battle. The goal to healthy hair is getting your hair to receive and hold moisture for long periods. 

3 things determine how well your hair holds moisture:

• How often you cleanse and condition your hair
• How healthy your hair cuticle is (porosity)
• The quality of products you use

How do I know if my hair is hydrated?

• Your hair stays soft, stretches without breaking.
• Hair holds moisture for 3 days. 
• Absence of single strand knots.
• You can separate your hair with no webbing.
• Your hair styles better.
• You have better coil definition.
• You have lots of shrinkage. 

How to get hydrated hair?

• Eliminate all products with harsh ingredients.
• Replace them with products as close to natural as possible.
• Follow a good  regimen, such as the CoilyQueens Regimen.
• A good regimen must include frequent cleansing and conditioning. 
• Do not use harsh heat. (flat irons, pressings etc.)
• Stay away from covering your hair in fake hair for at least 1 year after beginning a regimen.
• Be consistent, expect gradual improvements each week.
• Be patient it can take 6 months or more for healthy hydration. 

Make the above statements apply to your hair and regimen. 

Do not use products that contain these alcohols.

Denatured

SD alcohol 40

Witch hazel

Isopropanol

Ethanol

SD

Propanol

Propyl

HOW DO I BEGIN MY HYDRATION JOURNEY? 
Now you have an understanding of how hydrated hair performs. Start with the dry hair checklist. Make corrections according to the do's and don'ts listed.  Eliminate all products with not so natural ingredients in them.  Having a healthy head of hair can take 6 months to a year of being consistent. It all depends on the condition of your hair, when you begin. You will see the best results starting with natural hair at the TWA stage. Your hair is new and easier to hydrate. So when you are expecting results remember where you started. If you have damaged ends go ahead and cut them now. Do not waste anymore time holding onto those ugly ends just to maintain a certain length. You will be glad you did and it will grow back faster. 

Start the CoilyQueens Regimen today!

The dangers of relaxers (a must read)

Women go natural  for a variety of reasons. Those ladies who went natural because it was the "in" thing to do, will often be tempted to relax again. They convince themselves that Afro hair is to difficult and that straight relaxed hair is much easier. Some of them do not like their hair texture and most do not like the shrinkage that comes with Afro hair. At least every other day, I see comments stating,  they are tired and are tempted to go back to relaxing,  When people make the "back to relaxer"  announcement they are usually trying to get people to give them a reason why they should not go back to relaxing.  I will give you the ultimate reason why you should NEVER go back to relaxing your beautiful Afro  hair.

Limp straight hair

Think before you act!

When you apply that relaxer chemical to your hair,  you stand a great chance of permanently damaging your hair follicles. It does not make much difference, if whether you did your relaxer at home or you went to a professional.  There are lots of black women who get in their mid thirties and start to have issues with their scalp. First it starts with itching in a certain area, usually the crown. Then the scalp can become sore to the touch. This itchiness and soreness can stay that way for years, until one day you notice,  the hair has significantly thinned in that area. Many times you will notice a dime size or or quarter size bald spot, which seems to appear overnight. But it has not been overnight, your hair follicles have been dying slowly each day. So what causes this type of hair loss? Inflamed scar tissue under the scalp from past relaxer applications. Yes you can get burns under your scalp from the relaxer chemicals. When the burns heal they leave scar tissue. The scar tissue gets in the way of your hair growth at the root. You hair grows but the scar tissue prohibits it from sprouting from the scalp. Eventually the hair follicles completely close.  Because this condition happens very slowly it is hard to convince many black women that this happens a lot. Think about the fact that by the time a black woman hits 35, she has been relaxing her hair for 25 years at least. She has probably had at least 6 relaxers each year. That is a lot of harsh chemicals exposed to your hair and scalp. It is almost impossible for that chemical to not touch your scalp. This is not scare tactic, this is knowledge so you can make an educated decision on continuing to relax  or going back to relaxing your beautiful God blessed hair.

So what can be done about this condition?

 

Early treatment is crucial!

If your hair itches in a specific spot all of the time go see a dermatologist. If your scalp is sore in one area off and on, go see a dermatologist. Early detection is key. Tell the dermatologist all of your symptoms and be totally honest. He or she will want to know if  you ever used relaxers. The only way to know what is going on under your scalp is for the doctor to do a scalp biopsy. Understand that this can happen from just one relaxer application. It does not matter how many years you used relaxers. There is no cure for this type of hair loss. The doctor will treat it with steroid shots to the scalp. The earlier you seek treatment the more likely the shots will work to stop the progression of the bald area. You may not get back the hair you loss but the shots can stop you from losing more hair. 

So does a relaxer sound tempting after hearing this?

If this does not deter you then nothing will.  Do you want to risk baldness, just for the sake of having straight hair? God blessed you with beautiful Afro curly hair. Learn to love your curls. When you love a thing it flourishes for you. You do not have to destroy the structure of your hair in order for it to be beautiful. There is an abundance of great information available at your finger tips to help you take care of your coily hair. You are currently on one of the best sites that will help you get to know your Afro coily hair. All of this information is FREE, so take advantage of it. 

Wash it and let it FRO! Beautiful!!

Flat twist out!

Flat ironed hair! Beautiful!!

 

Naturally stretched hair.  Beautiful!

Afro curly hair is not difficult. God would not bless black women with difficult hair. Our hair is our glory. Start a healthy hair journey today and watch your hair transform in 3 months. The Coily Queens Method makes it easy for you. You will be amazed!!!

Start your journey here!!!

Achieving moisturized, defined, elongated twist outs

The twist out is the most popular style amongst Afro naturals. Once you perfect your twist out it is also one of the most easiest styles to create and maintain. The Coily Queens regimen has a conditioner pyramid it recommends for styling. This conditioner pyramid allows your twist outs to remain hydrated and defined, yet still have awesome elongation.. The conditioner pyramid helps you keep shrinkage to a minimum. Following the conditioner pyramid enables you to have good coil definition while still showing off your hair length.

DO NOT FOLLOW THIS IF YOU ARE DEALING WITH VERY DRY HAIR AND LOTS OF KNOTS AND TANGLES. CORRECT YOUR DRY HAIR ISSUE FIRST,  THEN REVISIT THIS STYLE METHOD. 

FOR HELP WITH YOUR DRY HAIR SEE THE DRY HAIR CHECKLIST, TO GET YOUR HAIR ON THE RIGHT TRACK.

THE COILY QUEENS 4 DAY CONDITIONING PYRAMID 
(For those who shampoo twice a week the CQ way)

Wash day:
Set your two strand twists with a thick creamy leave in conditioner or curl cream. It must be a cream product.
 2nd day:
When you re-twist at night use a hair milk or lotion conditioner. Follow with a natural oil. Doing the flat twist method is suggested for even better stretch.  
3rd day:
Set your twists with a non water based  conditioner, followed by a natural oil.
4th day:
Time for Coily Queens to wash their hair. But if you choose not to, then continue to set your twist out with the non water based conditioner, followed by a natural oil. Repeat until wash day. 

THE COILY QUEENS 7 DAY CONDITIONING PYRAMID

This is a style technique for those who want elongation with their coil definition

Wash day one:
You will set your two strand twists, with a thick cream leave in conditioner or curl cream. It must be a creme product
2nd day:
When you set your hair at night only use a natural oil such as avocado or EVOO.  
3rd day:
Set hair with a lotion leave in or hair milk. It must be a lotion product. When you set your twist out it would be best to flat twist than two strand twist. Reminder:
You will apply a little natural oil everyday as per the Coily Queens Regimen.

4th day:
You apply a non water based product to your hair when you set your twists. You can follow with a natural oil as usual. EACH DAY YOU WILL NOTICE MORE STRETCH TO YOUR TWIST OUTS, YET YOU ARE NOT DRYING YOUR HAIR OUT. USING DIFFERENT TYPES OF CONDITIONERS TO NOURISH AND LUBRICATE KEEPS YOUR HAIR FROM DRYING OUT.
5th day:
If you feel like you are in need of extra moisture then use a liquid leave in conditioner to set your twists at night. If you feel your hair is doing fine with hydration then only apply a little of the non water based conditioner followed by a natural oil.   Repeat day 5 instructions, daily until you wash your hair.

Whether you follow the 4 day pyramid or the 7 day pyramid both of these will give you nice elongation without sacrificing hydration or coil definition. Follow each suggestion as listed for the best results.


For a list of product suggestions go here

These products are great for day 4

Defining your natural curl pattern

Understand once and for all that no matter your texture if you have Afro hair your hair is curly. The reason your hair can form an Afro is because of the coils of your individual hair strands. So stop believing that your hair has no curl pattern, just because it does not curl the way you classify as curly.

Change your mindset change your journey!

 Hair is either, straight, wavy or curly. If your hair is tightly coily it is still curly. A coil is a curl. Your hair shrinks doesn't it? Right! Your hair shrinks because it curls up, it is not shrinking because it is straight. If you look at Afro hair really closely your will see the coils of the strands. You may not like your curl pattern but do not say it does not exist. 

Hydration is the key to finding your true curl pattern!

Do not judge your curl pattern until you have been on a good hair care regimen for 3 months or more. Why? Because many times your hair is not acting right, because it is dehydrated. Spend time on a hair care regimen which hydrates and nourishes your hair strands and you will see your true curl pattern come alive.

How to enhance your curl pattern

 

A.   Hair Coiling Technique. Train your hair to form coils. Afro hair can form just about any shape you can think of, look at the wide variety of styles we can do with our hair. The more you style Afro hair a certain way, the better your hair holds that form. This technique works best on those with hair 6 inches or shorter. This technique is great for those with short Afros. 

 At bedtime, apply leave in conditioner and a little gel if you need the extra hold. Section hair into 3 inch boxes, with your fingers twirl your hair into a coil. Your coils should look like a neat tube. Coil your hair in the direction you want your style to flow. If you want a part go ahead and create a part before you start coiling.

2.  Cover with a plastic conditioning cap, then tie down with a scarf.

3.   First thing in the morning remove plastic cap and scarf so hair can dry if it is damp. 

4.  When you are ready to style, apply a nourishing oil to your hair and using your fingers gently pull your coils apart.

5.  You should notice more curl definition. This technique works better each time you do it, so you want to do your coils back to back. By the third day of using this technique you should start to see awesome curl definition on your TWA. Your hair will remember the pattern in which you are coiling it each night. Afro hair is amazing!!!!!!!


B. Mineral clays for cleansing and conditioning.
Replace your shampoo with mineral clay when it is time to cleanse your hair. The best ones are Bentonite clay and Moroccan red clay. These are powdered mineral clays you mix with apple cider vinegar or aloe vera gel, and cleanse your hair and scalp. Mineral clays detox your hair and scalp and leave your coils soft, moisturized and more defined than conditioner or shampoo ever can. Find out more about cleansing with clays here.

Moroccan red clay mixed and ready to apply!

4C hair which has been cleansed using a clay wash, with no additional product added yet. Hair is damp but not soaking wet.

C. Using thick gels
 Set your hair with a little gel or curling jelly. These types of products help to freeze your coils in place so your styles last longer.

Top gels for tightly coily hair
Eco styler brown gel 
eXtreme wet gel
Kinky curly curling custard 

Important tip: in order to keep products from reacting badly with each other use products from the same line

No More Breakage!

Lightly flat ironed hair

About 2 weeks ago I made my second most valuable hair care purchase, I ordered a seamless comb. Actually I could not make my mind up so I ordered 3 different styles. I had  contemplated on purchasing a seamless comb for awhile but I guess I didn't fully believe one would make that much of a difference in my hair care regimen. 

But I was proven to be wrong.

Because I follow the CoilyQueens™ regimen I finger comb most of the time.  Three years ago I gave up using a comb on my hair because every time I did, I could feel my hair being ripped out and even hear it snapping. Since my hair was healthy at the time, I came to the conclusion that Afro hair was not meant to be combed. Thus I started finger untangling and combing, and my hair started retaining more length thus getting longer. But I kept thinking about the seamless comb and what, if any, difference it would make in my hair care regimen.

So what exactly is a seamless comb and 

what is the big deal?

A seamless comb is exactly what its name implies, it is a comb which has no seams. You can tell from handling a seamless comb versus a regular comb that it is made of quality materials. Grab one of your personal combs and run your fingers along the teeth of the comb, you will feel a line or seam. Now some combs have larger lines than others but all cheap combs are made with that seam. When you comb your hair especially black hair with a comb with seams, those seams glide through the hair and snap the hair as you comb your. How many times have you felt the ripping and the snapping, and heard it also? So the big deal is that a seamless comb allows you to comb your hair without ripping it out or causing any damage. Trust me they do work!

You can tell by the smile on my face that I am happy with this purchase. This is two of the 3 I ordered, these two are my favorite ones. On the left side is the Hercules Sagemann number 703WW. It is a styling comb good for detangling short or long hair. All of their combs are made by hand and come with a guarantee to be seam free. The style 703WW cost me 10.95. So you can expect to pay double the price of a regular comb. The seamless comb on the right is a Magic Star jumbo rake comb and it costs 17.50. This comb glides through your hair like butter. You will see no broken hair in the comb, unless you hair is shedding. You will get no breakage from these combs.

A closer look at the 703WW styling and detangling comb. These combs are chemical and heat resistant. As soon as you hold this comb you can feel that it is made of a higher quality than just your average $5 comb. If you are on a hair journey why not use the best on your hair, you deserve it.

On the left is a another look at the Magic Star jumbo rake which cost me 17.50, this is one of their best sellers and when you use it you will know why. On the right is the third comb I purchased and it is the HS5580 styler comb it has wide teeth and is designed for curly hair. This comb helps to enhance the volume and bounce of your roller sets or curly styles. 

Cost 11.95.

I have never had a comb to glide through my hair without snapping some of my hair. When you are a slow hair grower such as myself you understand the importance of keeping the length you have. I still recommend finger combing 90% of the time, but there are certain styles that look better when we use a comb, so when you need a comb use a seamless comb and not a comb poorly constructed with seams that rips your hair out as you use it. 

A closer look at the HS5580 styler comb. Designed for curly hair or hair which has been roller set. Chemical and heat resistant with antistatic guard. All of their combs are non porous so you do not have to worry about mildew or mold.

Did I say I love these combs? Yes I love these combs! No seams equals no breakage. Do not settle with combing your crown of glory with cheap combs which contain seams which have no consideration for your hair strands and rips them or weakens them. Find out more about seamless combs at hotCombs.com, this is where I order my combs from. You can also check Sally's Beauty Supply for seamless combs. Seamless combs come in any style a non seamless combs comes in but it doesn't break your hair. If you desire longer stronger healthy hair with no breakage then purchasing a seamless comb is a must.

Single Strand Knots!

You can prevent single strand knots from forming!

If you are natural, stretching your relaxer or transitioning from relaxed to natural, then more likely than not you are dealing with tangles, these tangles lead to single strand knots. Now I have seen many natural gurus say that tightly coily hair or type 4 hair is just prone to tangles and knots. That is just the nature of tightly coily hair. That is not true! Tangles and knots are the result of dehydrated hair. If you hair continues to be lacking moisture, then that hair will eventually snap and pop.

Prevention is always better than cure!

That being true,  the CoilyQueens Regimen, when followed on a regular basis, will eliminate your single strand knots and greatly reduce the amount of tangles you get. Just because your hair is tightly coily does not mean you have to deal with excess tangles and single strand knots. The CoilyQueens Regimen uses hydration and lubrication to eliminate your single strand knots and reduce your tangles.

As you can see with my tightly coily long hair one would think I deal with lots of tangles and single strand knots. But thanks to the CoilyQueens method my tangles have decreased and I rarely get a single strand knot. When I do, it is because I forgot to cover my hair at night.

Time to detangle!

 Even after getting caught in the rain, when I went to fingercomb this out, it was not as tangled as it might look. The CoilyQueens Regimen made it easier to untangle  my twist out that 

got rained out, lol. 
 
So what is the secret to preventing single strand knots???

You apply a natural penetrating oil to your hair daily.
Recommended oil for daily use: extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil or coconut oil
Start with 1 tablespoon and massage oil onto your scalp first.
Massage for 10 minutes to stimulate better hair growth. 
When massage is done, smooth the oil throughout the length of  you hair strands.
That is it! Good-bye single strand knots after 7 days of oil therapy.

Healthy lubricated hair handled properly does not get single strand knots.

Dry hair gets single strand knots and tangles easily.

This regimen makes your wash day shorter because there is no need to pre-poo.

You lubricated hair is easy to untangle on shampoo day.

Oil therapy the solution to single strand knots was discovered by CoilyQueensRock.com. This is the only website you will see promote this solution for single strand knots. I discovered this while experimenting with my love of natural oils, so if you read this solution anywhere else they copied me and should give CoilyQueensRock.com credit.

 The CoilyQueens Regimen greatly decreases your tangles when you practice oiling daily as recommended. I have followed this regimen for 3 years and my hair rarely gets a single strand knots because I have fewer tangles. If I do get a knot it is easy to untangle with no damage, because my hair is well lubricated and strong. Try the CoilyQueens Regimen today you will not regret it!

Hydration + Lubrication = no more single strand knots

This regimen is great for transitioners also, although I am mostly natural, as you can see from the above picture my bang area has some relaxer on it. About 4 years ago I was wearing a curly sew in so I relaxed the bang area of my hair so it could blend in. I am so glad I did not relax my entire head. I have to give this small area of hair, extra care because of the two textures. The CoilyQueens Regimen makes it easy to untangle when I do get tangles. Because of the lubrication,  I can easily pull them apart with my fingers. I do not have to resort to cutting the knots out. Some might say well, why not just cut your bangs. Well this picture was taken in 2011, so I have cut a small part of my bangs, but I still have some left because it was a large bang. Also because I took care of it so well, I experienced no breakage, you can tell from the picture how healthy it still looks regardless of the relaxer still being there. So because it has not interfered with my daily styling and it is not breaking, I chose not to cut it. The CoilyQueens Regimen has enabled me to not have breakage. This will work out great for long term transitioners. 

Start the CoilyQueens Regimen today! 

Watch your hair transform!

Also read about my adventures in oiling and how I discovered this wonderful benefits, oil therapy provides.
http://www.coilyqueensrock.com/2012/10/vee-macks-hair-oil-therapy.html






Copyright © 2013

Coily Queens dry hair factors

Coily Queens™  dry hair checklist

Still fighting your dry hair issues?

Here is a checklist of things you can do:

• Check your porous issues. If your hair is overly porous then you will keep losing moisture.
• Check your products be sure they do not contain the bad alcohols.
• Are you oiling your hair daily? If not start today.
• Do you wash your hair at least once a week? If not start today.
• Always rinse your deep conditioner out with cool or cold water.
• If you are using chemicals then you may need to stop, depending on your hair goal.
• Take an inventory of your treatment products, be sure you are using them according to the directions on the bottle. Improper use of protein treatments can lead to dry hair issues.

Note: you may only need to implement one of these suggestions to correct your dry hair issue. Although all of these are good suggestions for healthy haircare.